The garden sprinklers rear in to action at 4am and pulsating jets of water hit the rear of Vin. A second later and our alarm clock goes off, in slow motion we jump in action. By 6am Istanbul is gridlocked and want to avoid chaos and queues, so we pay our £3.60 per day parking fee and head off to Asia. First crossing the Galata bridge from the old city then the up the area of Karaköy and inland is through Galata, once a Genoese city.  Thankfully, the tourist district full of bars and restaurants was still sleepy. 

By six o’clock in the morning, the first streaks of light are in the sky as we cross the Bospherus via Tem Otoyolu bridge to Asia. The tall skyscrapers block the intensely bright sun as it rises along the E80.  A six lane road system lined with a fancy hedge system intertwined in to a stone and marble wall.  By 6.15 we were on the E16 and the traffic was building.  Ten minutes later we were down to four lanes and on the D20 heading towards Sila.  We’d escaped the madness of Istanbul in one piece and on our way to tour Turkey. 

A few miles out of Omerli we stopped at a Shell fuel station to see if they had the HGS toll card. To our surprise (not) they had run out just like every other outlet on our route so far. The friendly attendant tells us we can fill up with fresh water and use their toilet facilities, free of charge.  We take him up on the offer and for the next 30 minutes he follows our every move with complete fascination. 

The D20 Highway eventually turned in to a single road and as quiet as a country lane. Running through neatly planted fields of tobacco and tea with sun dappled orchards of apricot, apple and fig. This tranquil countryside is a complete contrast to Istanbul.  We wind our way along passing new ploughed fields, free to roam cows and dark, old, ramshackle farmhouses. Small courtyards were chickens peck away around feeding troughs made from hollowed out tree trunks and tin baths. Drive ways covered in huge rugs, drying crops in the morning sun. We not sure exactly what they are drying but we think it might be tea?

At Sila the road splits and we are attracted to a supermarket. Its probably the largest we’ve seen since arriving in Turkey and its around the size of a large corner shop. The Hakmar store offers everything we need but choice of brand is not an option. We buy everything we need from water, pop, fruit, bread, vegetables and a few ‘donok’s’. That’s short for ‘do not know’ but looks like it could be interesting, so lets give it a whirl. The bi-weekly shop came to less than a fiver!  We love Turkey already.  Within minutes of unpacking, the bread is devoured with a pot of marmalade and it is truly scrumptious. 

We continue through countryside with fields of sunflowers, some withered and dry and others blooming. Small roadside pens with cow, sheep and goat are intermittent along our route. Each time accompanied by nomadic shepherds and their simple tent life. Sadly their lack of respect for the countryside as far as litter is concerned is rather alarming. The roads are good but the drive is slow through the twist, turns, ups and downs of the road. It reminds us of Slovenia…I wonder how Karen & Myles are enjoying?  Eventually, we pop out on the coast and stop at the low key resort of Aziziye for lunch. Craig cooks a mean fry up to recharge our batteries. 

The last few miles of the journey we hug the coast, a slow glide into the industrial zone of the Black Sea.  Its not as picture postcard material but towards the end of a small residential area we find a practical stop for the night. Parked up on the sea front at Yali Beach reminds us of Goa thirty years ago…under developed just waiting for a bit of TLC and it will boom. A little beach hut selling refreshments and deflated rubber rings. Long stretches of fine sandy beach with scorched grass fringe. People wearing both western and eastern dress. Half a dozen people are sunbathing and I am pleasantly surprised to see women in bikini’s. Somewhere to do the weekly washing and chores before we collapse in a heap.  Several restless nights kip and a early start catch up on us.  

Our Bumble wild camping spot Yali Beach N041.074979, E030.880732